Meet NAIA's honest pushcart retriever

By Kathlyn dela Cruz, ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA -- Cristina Alcaraz almost lost her husband's cash worth $4,800 or around P210,000 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), but thanks to an honest pushcart retriever, the money was immediately returned to her.

Speaking to radio dzMM on Thursday, Alcaraz said the money was sent by her overseas worker husband through his staff, Jovy Escarpio, who went home from Europe on Wednesday.

However, Escarpio forgot about the envelope containing Alcaraz's money after he took it out from his bag and placed it on a baggage pushcart.

Fortunately, the envelope was seen by pushcart retriever Jony Villon, who was assigned at the parking area of the airport's arrival area.

In a separate interview with radio dzMM, Villon said he initially thought that the sealed envelope contained a passport and some documents. But when he tried to feel the contents of the envelope, he realized that it contained money.

Without thinking twice, the 41-year-old Villon immediately took the envelope to the airport's Intelligence and Investigation Division. They then called Alcaraz, whose name and cell phone number were written on the envelope.

He said he was not tempted to keep the money for his own use, noting that he knows the hardships of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW).

Upon arriving at the airport's lost and found section, Alcaraz immediately expressed gratitude to Villon and said: "May mga tao pa palang kagaya mo."

As standard operating procedure, airport authorities conducted an inventory of the envelope's contents in front of Alcaraz. It was only at that time that Villon found out that the package contained 48 pieces of $100 bills.

Alcaraz said the money was for their down payment for a house in Parañaque.

Now that his good deed has earned him several praises, with some people even giving him cash, Villon said: "Parang hindi po ako makapaniwala. Hanggang ngayon parang lumilipad yung utak ko. Para akong nasa langit."